Back-to-Back Earthquakes Rock Anchorage, Alaska

Image: PHOTO: Anchorage, Alaska. (photo via RobsonAbbott/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (RobsonAbbott/ iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: PHOTO: Anchorage, Alaska. (photo via RobsonAbbott/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (RobsonAbbott/ iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 2:39 PM ET, Fri November 30, 2018

Two earthquakes rattled Anchorage, Alaska, in what was described as a violent temblor by residents.

According to a report in the Associated Press, the two earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads Friday morning in Anchorage.

"I've been here 11 years and I've felt movers before, but that scared me s***less," Anchorage resident Kevin Bartley told reporter Nat Herz of Alaska Public Media. "That's the quickest I've ever seen one come on and the hardest I've ever seen it shake."

The first quake was the more powerful, hitting at 8:30 a.m. local time. The epicenter was approximately 8 miles north of Anchorage. That quake was followed by a second 5.8 temblor.

The two earthquakes triggered a tsunami warning for southern Alaska coastal areas of Cook's Inlet and part of the Kenai Peninsula that was quickly lifted but triggered evacuations.

No injuries have been reported but there are many reports of damage, in particular to roadways in the area. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is currently closed, under a "full ground stop." The FAA is assessing damage to runways and the air traffic control tower had to be evacuated.


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